The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to remove encroachment from a piece of green belt in Gulistan-e-Johar area within 10 days.
This direction came on a petition filed by shop owner who moved the court seeking action against unlawful hotel built on the green belt.
The petitioner, Fazal Khaliq, alleged that influential land grabbers, who enjoyed the support of area police and KMC authorities, encroached upon a piece of green belt in front of his three shops along University Road in Block-4, Gulistan-e-Johar area.
Private respondent, owner of the hotel, erected unlawful structures on the green belt, uprooting grass and plants there, he said, while adding that illegal constructions had blocked front of the shops.
The petitioner said that he approached the higher officials of police and KMC and registered his complaints with them but all turned deaf ear to his grievance. He requested the court to direct authorities concerned to remove the encroachment from green belt.
Following the direction of SHC, Nazir of the court visited the above-mentioned site and confirmed in his report that a hotel was being run on the space reserved for green belt.
After sifting through the Nazir’s report, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah ordered KMC to remove encroachment from piece of green belt and submit compliance report within 10 days.
